Clear Convictions-Warning
(Strike First Records, 2005)

Although the band is from Puerto Rico, Clear Convictions have a sound that definitely US based. Taking elements from Hatebreed and Madball, the band plays hardcore that is fast and as heavy as humanly possible. Despite a few problems production wise, the band manages to crank out 11 tracks of heavy hardcore sure to have arms swinging in no time.

One aspect of the band that definitely stands out as unique is the vocal approach. It’s has a hollow sound to it but still manages to be utterly vicious. It’s a nice change from the average hardcore yell, or the more aggressive screaming side of things. The music might be a bit typical at times, but the vocals definitely help the band stand on their own two feet.

The production definitely is a bit of a let down, but it doesn’t tremendously hurt the album. The guitar tone has a weird sound to it. It sounds a little bit hollow and needs to be a bit more forceful. I’m not sure what Puerto Rico has to offer as far as studios go for heavy bands. But the overall sound of the record isn’t too bad. The band is tight, but with a more powerful production they could do even more damage.

For fans of heavy hardcore, Clear Convictions will definitely be a welcome addition to your CD collection.

Necrophagist-Epitaph
(Relapse Records, 2004)

When death metal bands have a more technical approach sometimes the songs themselves tend to lose identity. Ten million riffs and solos every minute do no make a good song. Thankfully Necrophagist realize this and the result is an album that is both technical proficient and incredibly catchy. Think Heartwork meets Yngwie Malmsteen and you’ll know what to expect here.

Take away all of the solos, and noodling and you are still left with catchy songs. That’s where the magic lies here. They can play circles around you, but even during the more technical riffs there is something to latch onto. The band also doesn’t become predictable tempo wise. There are definitely a lot of blasting moments, but the band has slower and more epic moments that bring to mind Nile or classic Morbid Angel. Vocal wise the band uses a consistent roar that definitely pounds home the fact that this is indeed a death metal album.

If you are a fan of guitar solos, you’ll be grinning ear to ear before the first solo is even finished. Saying that these guys can play would be a vast understatement. Sweep picking is used to great lengths in the soloing and these are probably the most tasteful guitar solos ever heard in death metal. They give a bit of a progressive edge to the music, but the main song writing doesn’t really fit the progressive tag. This is death metal through and through, it’s technical and played with emotion, but there’s no denying that this is death metal.

This is probably the best album death metal has seen in a really long time. If this album goes overlooked it truly will be a shame. Even the best bands in the genre can’t match this.

Brutal Fight-Our Merciful Father
(Strike First Records, 2005)

For heavy hardcore a lot of American bands share similarities. Let’s face it. A lot of bands sound damn near identical. So when a band like Brutal Fight comes along they stand out even more. The band is definitely heavy and hardcore based, but this sounds nothing like what is around right now. It almost comes across like a dissonant and heavy mixture of His Hero is Gone and European metalcore.

There is a lot of chugging riffing, but in the typical style of right now. The guitar tone is also quite different. There are a lot of mids in the guitar tone and it really helps the riffs themselves stand out. It also adds an incredible sense of urgency to the music and maintains a hardcore style throughout the album. They are heavy, but there is no reason to call this a metal band or album.

The production is fairly noisy but it fits like a glove. The aforementioned guitar tone is definitely not the cleanest guitar sound ever and it only reinforces the His Hero is Gone influence. While it is noisy, it’s easy to follow and everything rings through. The bass guitar is almost non-existent, but I’m sure it’s in there fattening up the sound even if it isn’t incredibly audible.

Brutal Fight are definitely playing with a lot of originality and aren’t content with being just another metalcore band. This one will appeal to fans of all heavy and urgent music, whether it’s metalcore, hardcore, or even crust.

Winter Solstice-The Fall of Rome
(Metal Blade Records, 2005)

Winter Solstice certainly has come a long way in a very short time. The band’s last EP was chock full of scathing metalcore but they weren’t quite there yet. Not even a year later the band’s debut full length is out and they have progressed into a much more thrash influenced version of metalcore albeit not leaving behind the Swedish influenced sound of their previous recordings.

The first thing that really stood out was that the band’s song writing is a lot more focused and more mature. The songs now flow incredibly well and feature a pretty wide variety of tempo changes. I think they still play a few too many similar breakdown riffs, but with time I’m sure the band will become even more creative with their style. A bit more diversity in the vocal approach would have been nice as well. The style of screaming is awesome, but it’s pretty much the same thing from beginning to end. I don’t think clean vocals are needed or anything like that, but maybe a few lower growls or higher screams to emphasise certain lines would have helped a little.

Being that this is a Metal Blade released album, the production is definitely up to snuff. The guitar sound is incredibly tight and compact, packing a lot of punch. There is really absolutely nothing to complain about production wise. The drums are incredibly tight, and while they sound triggered, they don’t sound overly mechanical. The vocals are perfectly mixed and add another vicious layer to an already amazing sounding record.

While they aren’t to the point where you could call them completely original, the band is making strides in the right direction. The typical metalcore elements are beginning to be taken away and Winter Solstice is becoming one of the best thrashy metal bands the US has to offer. Fans of Swedish death metal will want to check this one out.

The Hollow-Vita
(Swarm Theory, 2004)

The Hollow suffer from a bit of an identity crisis for time to time, but the band manages to keep things interesting for the course of this album, even if some of the tracks and very different from one another. The band’s main sound is a bit like a mix of Metallica and Tool. There are definite hints of thrash, but the band explored some slower grooves that bring to mind tool. The entire package is layered in a coat of rock n’ roll, especially the vocal lines and some of the simpler guitar patterns.

But there is no debating that this is indeed a metal record. Blistering solos come out of nowhere and give a bit of a Megadeth influence to the band’s sound. These aren’t simple solos either. These are fret jumping shred solos, but with a lot of emotion and tasteful playing.

I think they could have possibly left off a few of the shorter instrumental tracks, or at least tried to work them into actual songs. They represent interesting ideas, but just seem a bit out of place next to the vocal oriented songs. The album is also insanely long, clocking it at over 80 minutes long. Some of the songs definitely show off the Tool influence in the song lengths. One song is over 17 minutes long. The diversity of the album helps keep if interesting, but you could pick two different songs and play them for people and they would think it was two different bands. Possibly refining the approach a bit would make for a bit of a more concise album.

There is definitely a lot of potential here. They just need a bit more direction and they would really make an album that would surprise quite a few people.

Children of Bodom-Hatecrew Deathroll
(Spinefarm/Universal, 2003)

I was definitely surprised to find a copy of this album awaiting me in my mailbox. After all the album has been out for quite sometime now, but with the album being released in Canada through Universal Music even more people will be exposed to the band’s bombastic and melodic metal stylings.

This album definitely shows the band’s biggest progression. While they started as a melodic hybrid of black metal, power metal and thrash, they have toned down considerably. Now you could say that the band mainly draws from thrash and power metal, although the vocal approach is still harsh. Guitar heroics are still a big part of the band’s sound, and the solos are definitely one of the biggest draws here. The song writing is amazing and very catchy, but the guitar solos are just jaw dropping.

There are a few moments on here that sound a bit too much like In Flames though. I’m not sure if it’s because the band is playing slower these days, but some of the riffs and vocal lines bare a resemblance to newer In Flames. You couldn’t reference actual songs, but the influence is there and a bit too prevalent.

I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t miss the days of Something Wild, but the band has grown into an amazing group of musicians playing energetic and incredibly well played metal.

Valume Nob-The Most High
(Crash Music, 2004)

If you saw this CD in a store the terrible layout might make you pass on it, but if you are a fan of hardcore punk and crossover you’d be missing out on one of the most vicious slabs the genre has seen in a long time.

After an all too long intro of droning, the band explodes into fast and brutal music with simple guitar riffs and shouted vocals. Think vintage DRI mixed with Agnostic Front played with an incredible amount of energy. They aren’t doing anything new and that is exactly what they want to do. They aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel. They want to play a style that they all love, and that style is raging hardcore punk.

These guys could appeal to a huge variety of people. Fans of everything from SOD, to Agnostic Front, to early COC, to DRI, would be able to get into this disc quite easily.